Method and system for testing a multiplexed bop control system

Abstract

A test system and a method for testing a multiplexed BOP control system (6) wherein the multiplexed BOP control system (6) comprises a first and a second redundant central control unit (10, 20) with respective first and second operator consoles (30, 31), wherein the central control units (10, 20) are arranged for being connected via a first signal transmission system (40) to respective first and second redundant subsea control systems (11, 21) arranged for being connected to BOP valves (50) and BOP sensors (55) in a subsea BOP (1), and the test system comprises a control system signal simulator (42) arranged for being connected between one or more of the control units (10, 20) and one or more of the subsea control systems (11, 21), and further arranged for entirely or partly replacing the first signal transmission system (40) and providing simulated signals (41) between one or more of the control units (10, 20) and one or more of the subsea control systems (11, 21).

Description

[0001]This application is the National Phase of PCT / NO2011 / 000208 filed on Jul. 15, 2011, which claims priority under 35 U.S.C. 119(e) to U.S. Provisional Application No. 61 / 365,535 filed on Jul. 19, 2010, and under U.S.C. 119(a) to Patent Application No. 20101024 filed in Norway on Jul. 18, 2010, all of which are hereby expressly incorporated by reference into the present application.INTRODUCTION[0002]The invention relates to blowout preventers in drilling of marine petroleum boreholes. Blow out preventers (BOP) are essential for safety in deep sea marine drilling operations. BOP's have complicated computer control systems, and it is of great importance to secure that these control systems perform adequately and effectively. Presently available testing methods are not sufficient to detect software errors in the computer control systems of the BOP's, and this may lead to problems that make it necessary to abort drilling operations and lift the BOP up from the seafloor to platform, o...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0047]An advantage of the invention compared to background art is that a large number of tests can be performed more efficiently, and test can be done without having access to the subsea BOP stack itself. In addition, the simulation based system makes it possible to perform tests that are difficult or even harmful to perform for the actual subsea BOP stack.

[0048]An important advantage is that the invention allows for very detailed and extensive testing of redundancy issues, that is, how the control function can be switched from e.g. the blue central control unit to the yellow, and from the blue pod, or subsea control systems to the yellow while the system is in operation.

Problems solved by technology

At the same time redundancy increases the complexity of the in the computer system, and this may cause problems if this in turn leads to software or hardware errors because of a complicated design.

Interaction of secondary intervention systems that may be designed

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